Chrome Hounds

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A bland story lets down a robotic shooter with some good
components, writes Eliot Fish.

Chrome Hounds
Xbox 360
Classification: M
RRP: $119.95
Rating: 2.5/5

If you are old enough to remember Mechwarrior on the PC, you
will already be familiar with the hulking mechanised infantry that
so often plays an integral part in these futuristic warfare
scenarios.

Mechs, or Hounds are they are referred to here, are war machines
piloted by humans, but which look like giant robots. They are as
slow as bulldozers, but carry enough firepower on their shoulders
to blast large buildings.

Chrome Hounds throws you into a variety of these vehicles, from
lightweight Scouts to heavily armoured Defenders, for a series of
brutal sorties across a fictional European landscape.

You play the part of a mercenary who has been hired to help win
a war. In fact, the story of these struggling factions is so dry
that wading through the mission briefings is like sitting through a
lecture on some obscure country's geo-political history. Not
exactly the sort of thing to get the adrenaline pumping.

This blandness also seems to permeate the heavy-duty action,
with your Hound stomping through endless hilly regions to
systematically eradicate the enemy. The artificial landscapes
hardly show a glimmer of life, so there's little to convince you
that you're exploring anything other than maps designed purely for
robot shootouts.

Completion of missions rewards you with spare parts that can be
used to build a customised Hound to take online. Getting creative
in the garage is fun and players can even repaint the smallest
component.

The multiplayer mode is marginally more interesting than the
solo play because your human opponents are unpredictable and
co-ordinated team-play is necessary to snatch victory for your
side.

A few technical hitches can mar the online experience, though,
so updates for the game may yet be sent to gamers using the Xbox
Live service.

Endgame: As long as you don't fall asleep at
the wheel, Chrome Hounds offers a smattering of explosive
action.